GW on a tough tie against Southend...
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s play-off semi-final against Southend, GW says play-off games bring a different edge to normal.
“You have got 180 minutes to earn a result, they are tough encounters are there is usually a real ferocity to them in terms of appetite, attitude and desire to go to a Wembley final. They are not for the faint hearted that is for sure.
“They are a very, very good side; there is no doubt in that. Their recent form shows what they are capable of and they have got a very experienced manager at the helm. They will develop and I am sure they will react to the disappointment of last weekend in a positive way; there is too much experience and know-how for them not to. None-the-less, human emotion is human emotion and there are factors in there, for sure.”
With so many players desperate to play on Sunday, the battle for a starting berth is intense and has shown in training this week.
“You have to play to win in everything that you do, whether you are on the training ground or in game situations, the lads are keen to get themselves at the right level and that is what they are fighting to do. Fighting to improve their standards, fighting to improve their fitness and fighting to improve their quality that they can produce if they are selected.
“The training has been as it normally is, competitive, progressive, thinking about getting better, thinking about improving and trying to make sure this weekend is the best performance we put in this season.”
Boro’s fine home record over the season has been one of the keys to reaching the play-offs and GW says it is vital in order to be successful.
“Any football club that wants to succeed has to work as a unit, has to work together. Our home ground has been a ground where we have got back to winning ways this year on the whole.
“It has been nice to see our stadium be a place where it is tough to get a result again. We lost that for a period as a football club but we have gained that back. I don’t think there are many sides that would look at Stevenage away and think that it is a proposition they really fancied, if they were honest, but then again Southend away is a tough trip too.”
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